Future Connection
by BassDS
Summary: Hikari has grown up not knowing the love of a mother or father; her mother having fallen into a coma not long after her birth...and her father; he abandoned them, as her grandfather put it. But when a strange Heartless attacks her home, Hikari finds herself flung through time into the past, coming face to face with her parents, including the absent father she had loathed for years.
1. Bitterness

Greeting, my fellow Kingdom Hearts fans.

I'm BassDS, and I've been on this site for well over 15 years, and I've actually worked on several other stories for some of my favorite series...but never for Kingdom Hearts; there WAS bit of a crossover story I started two years back, but I don't count that seeing as how 0.2 and eventually III derailed my plans for that...so yeah. I mainly hang around in the Mega Man side of things, but I figured it was time to throw my hat in the ring and write up a Kingdom Hearts story, and for me, what better way to do that than with a story involving my series OTP for Sora and Kairi. (Please, Nomura, stop messing with us and make this happen; you've been dropping these hints EVERYWHERE the past couple of years...as if Don't Think Twice isn't a big enough hint,)

But generally...my stories are usually all, oh what's the word; too cheerful or perfect, when it comes to ships. But this time...we're throwing a little dose of angst into the mix to start things off while at the same time, taking the concept of time travel in the KH series and turning it on its head and shattering it to a million pieces; because I'm breaking the rules and making my own here, before slowly reaching up to my usual form of storytelling where everything ends on a good note, while also bringing my Sokai offspring OC into the mix.

Initially, this just started as an alternate headcanon for an angsty SoKai involved plot, but I had quite a few people warm up to the idea and generally like it when I posted my thoughts on tumblr; so I figured, what the hell; let's run with it.

And with that...I give you all the beginning of Future Connection.

(Pardon the shortness of this chapter, my time is currently limited, and I really wanted to get this out here.)

* * *

Future Connection

Prologue: Bitterness

* * *

15 years.

That's how long the young girl had gone through life without either of her parents. As she sat atop the large tree on the play islands of Destiny Islands, she gazed out at the sea, her legs up to her chest as her blue eyes glistened in the sunset, her auburn hair grown down to her shoulders and upper back; she wore a simple white tank top and shorts; a violet cloth hung from the side and was wrapped around her waist, a red band adorned her right arm while a silver bracelet was snugly around her left wrist.

Her life was fine, for the most part. She had grandparents who loved her and took care of her since she was a baby…since her mother was physically unable to.

Her mother; the one who gave her life spent the past 15 years in a coma, she didn't understand why when she was younger, they just told her that mommy was sleeping, but she knew the truth now; her mother was troubled with stress during the time she was pregnant, and not long after she was born, it finally got the better of her and her emotions, and she had been silent ever since; resting in her bed as her grandparents tended to her mother; never being held or consoled by her whenever she had a bad day. She had never truly felt a mother's love for her child.

And her father….

She had seen pictures of him when he and her mother were younger, she had wanted forever to meet him when she was little...her grandfather didn't exactly think highly of him; blaming him for the state that his daughter was in now; and in time, she grew to not wanting to meet him at all, hating him as much as her grandfather did instead.

Then there was the Keyblade. She had been able to call hers forth when she was just the tender age of 6, to say she was highly confused of the mysterious object appearing out of nowhere was an understatement, but she at least learned about the Keyblade from her uncle Riku, coming to know both of her parents were wielders. She never understood why though...why her Keyblade had appeared before her, why she was even meant to wield one anyway.

Her uncle Riku told her of stories of her father and his adventures with the Keyblade...or as much as he knew, anyway. She wanted to be just like her father in the stories, but as she grew older, the bitterness of his absence had finally begun to set in. Hearing her grandfather speak lowly of him, and seeing the current state of her life due to him not being around; she began to believe it. Her father abandoned her mother. He abandoned her.

And she hated him for it.

"Mind telling me why you did that?" a voice called from behind her.

"Why did I do, what exactly, uncle Riku? You gotta be more specific than vague." she shot back nonchalantly.

"Hikari, why did you scratch up that drawing in the small cave?"

"Because I hated seeing it every time I sat there when I wanted to be alone."

"You know that drawing is special to your mother..." Riku replied, remembering when a younger Hikari asked about it one day many years ago.

"Yeah, well, not like she can say anything about it." Hikari said as she jumped off the tree. "And to be fair, I only scratched HIS part of it off."

" _This again..."_ Riku thought for a moment. "That still doesn't give you..."

"Why does it matter? He's NEVER coming back here! No one is going to care one bit!" Hikari shouted.

"I care, and so does your mother; even more to her than you know." Riku replied.

"Well I don't, and that's that." Hikari replied as she tried to storm off past him.

"Listen, Hikari, you don't know everything." Riku said as he grabbed hold of her wrist to try and stop her.

"I know enough!" she shot back once more. "Fact is, he left mom, he left me! What else is there to know besides that he just ups and vanishes one day, leaving the girl he knocked up behind."

"Watch it...you're treading in the far end of the ocean there." Riku said. He was worried it would come to this; being exposed to her grandfather's hatred for his best friend was finally starting to get to his apprentice.

"Just let me go!" Hikari said, breaking her wrist free from Riku's grip. "I need to get home; I have school tomorrow..."

Riku watched as the young teen made her way over to the boat dock and jumped in; grabbing the oars and proceed to row back home to the main islands.

Sighing, Riku moved over to the large tree and leaned his back against like he did in the old days, wishing he had Sora and Kairi here to watch the sunset with him again.

"I should have went with him..." Riku muttered, staring at his hand and clenched it tightly, feeling a strong feeling of remorse and regret in his heart.

There was so much Hikari didn't know...she was led to believe things that weren't true; but Riku could see he could put this off no longer.

Hikari needed to know the truth.


	2. Loneliness, Anger, And Regret

Hey everyone, It's BassDS back with a new addition to Future Connection. So before going on, I do want to say, once more, if the chapters seem short, I apologize, but on one hand, this might work in my favor, constantly uploading in small bursts like this as opposed to burning out on a long chapter, which honestly, I think most of my other stories have suffered from, due to lack of losing interest in how much I have to write...so I figure, might as well use this for a testing ground and see how well it works.

And for the two of you who asked in the reviews and for anyone who reads the prologue after this update...NO, I did not kill Sora off. To be honest, I have no clue what the hell happened to him either, and really, it won't matter in the long run, due to how I have the ending for Future Connection drafted out in my mind. But uh...that's all you're getting out of me for now. We don't want to spoil anything.

I will say though, for next time, we will be starting to focus on the events that happened prior to Sora's disappearance, so that'll be something you all can look forward to. But that's for next time; for now, let us continue on, and I hope you all enjoy yourselves with this.

* * *

Future Connection

Ch.1 Loneliness, Anger, And Regret

* * *

Hikari closed the front door behind her as she arrived home from school; smelling the delicious scent of food emanating from the kitchen; a clear indication her grandmother was already preparing dinner.

"Welcome home, dear. I trust school went well today?" the brown haired woman asked as she chopped up a few vegetables before dumping them into a large kettle of soup; a few steaks simmered on the stove.

"Dull like ever other day, gram." she sighed while kicking off her shoes near the front door. "Is gramps going to be home tonight?" Hikari asked.

"Depends. He's been quite busy at the island office lately; wouldn't surprise me if he pulls another all-nighter. I'll likely have to take him a change of clothes later. Why? Was there something you wanted."

"No, just curious is all...just seems like he's there more nowadays than home." pondered Hikari.

"Well, he IS mayor after all. It's not an easy job."

"Well...I'm going to lay down for a bit, grams. Can you let me know when dinner's ready?"

"Of course, dear. It'll be a little while though." she said looking over to her granddaughter with a smile.

Hikari said nothing as she walked down the hall, her hand sliding against the wall smoothly, her head turning to see the open door next to her room.

Her mother's room.

Hikari carefully walked into the room, her eyes locking onto the bed as her mother laid atop it, a smile on her face, all the while being trapped in a mental slumber she had no control over.

The young teen moved closer and knelt down a bit, her hand carefully weaving into a lock of her mother's long red hair; feeling how smooth it felt; a clear indication that her grandmother had attended to her earlier on in the day, making sure she was taken care of in her current condition.

"Hey mama..." Hikari was able to mutter softly as she carefully placed her hand in hers. "I'm here if you ever need me...okay? I'm just right down the hall."

Hikari was unsure if her mother could even hear her at all. In all honesty, she often wondered why she even bothered. It just felt weird to her to talk to someone she literally knew nothing about, not knowing her on a personal level, despite being told almost everything about her mother.

ALMOST everything, anyway.

Her eyes wandered over to a picture frame on her mother's nightstand, the image of her mother in the middle of the small group photo, her uncle Riku on the left...and on the right.

Hikari clutched the end of her school skirt with her hand in anger as she looked into the eyes of the brown haired boy grinning stupidly.

"Just...just what did you even see in him, mama..." she seethed through her teeth and rose up, keeping her composure for a moment while she caressed her mother's face and went off to her room.

She closed and locked the door behind her, before angrily throwing her school bag against the wall, sinking down to the floor, overcome with her emotions as she cried softly to herself.

She wanted badly for this nightmare to end.

* * *

At The Mysterious Tower:

Riku made his way up the winding staircase towards Yen Sid's chamber; it having been so long since he last ascended these stairs, at least a good six years. He came to the massive door and opened it up and walked in; his eyes immediately fixating on the old master and one of his closest friends.

"Riku!" Mickey's ears perked up as he saw the young adult enter the room. "Gosh, it's been so long since I last saw you." he walked over and extended his hand out.

"Heh...good to see you too, Mickey. It HAS been too long." Riku smiled as he knelt down and clasped his hand with that of the small mouse's.

"I must admit...I was not expecting you, Riku." Yen Sid spoke as Riku rose back to his feet.

"Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I guess I just really needed someone to talk to."

"Gosh, I hope it's nothing too serious." Mickey replied.

"Master..." Riku spoke as he approached. "I know it's been a long time...but I think it's time we tried searching for Sora again."

Yen Sid closed his eyes and began to stroke his beard. "I had assumed that was the nature of your visit. T'was the same reason for Mickey's visit here as well."

"It is?" Riku asked.

"Yup. All this time, I've been trying my best to find any trace of Sora...although, it hasn't really led me anywhere promising." Mickey said with a sad tone.

"Unfortunately...we do not know if Sora is still among us...in the living sense of course. Nor do we know if he is in the Realm of Darkness. If the latter had been the case, surely, knowing the boy, he would've found a way out by now." Yen Sid proposed.

"I'd rather not think of the former, honestly." Riku sighed, though he knew it was a possibility that couldn't be ruled out. "I've just been feeling really guilty lately...I should have gone with him."

"I can understand your guilt, Riku. I myself have come to regret my decision to ask Sora to check the boundaries between the worlds after our conflict with Xehanort, especially after all we went through to ensure his return to us. To say it does not haunt me is an understatement." Yen Sid confessed.

"Part of me thinks if I can find him, we can finally wake Kairi up. Although that's only an assumption, but considering the connection between those two, it wouldn't be farfetch'd to think that." replied Riku.

"But...where would we even start looking? It's been 15 years." asked Mickey. "It's not like any of my leads have gotten me anywhere."

Riku folded his arms as he stared off out into the sky from the window on the side of the room, walking over to gaze out toward the stars.

"I sense this is not the only thing troubling you, Riku." Yen Side spoke out.

Riku stood silently for a moment, trying to collect himself and focus. "It's Hikari."

"Ah yes...the young one you've taken as your Keyblade Apprentice. I assume she shows promise; being the offspring of two Keyblade Wielders; one of them a Princess of Heart." Yen Sid spoke forth.

"She's got promise...and skill. She fights almost like Sora back when we were kids; I see so much of him in her." he smirked before it vanished from his face." But that's not what bothers me."

"Is there something wrong with her, Riku?" Mickey asked.

"She's harboring a lot of resentment towards Sora...and it's only gotten worse over the past couple of years. Add in to the fact its mostly contributed from her grandfather." Riku lamented. "All she knows is that Sora just up and left Kairi out of the blue; that's what she's been led to believe. But she doesn't know everything, despite me telling her there's no way Sora would have left Kairi. She doesn't know anything about what really happened. Granted, neither do we..."

"She's letting her anger and emotions control her actions...and you feel if it continues, it will completely consume her. Am I correct in my assumption?" questioned Yen Sid.

Riku balled his hand up and punched it against the wall as his other hand held the edge of the window. "If I had known Kairi was pregnant, I would have made that idiot stay home and I would have gone in his place...and the worst part is, I don't even know if Sora knew about Kairi being pregnant or not."

"Even if that had been the case and you did go in Sora's stead...whatever happened to him would most likely have befallen you. And that leaves no doubt in my mind Sora would be here standing exactly where you are, lamenting over the same issue.

"So...what do we do then?" Mickey asked worriedly.

"For starters...it's time I do what I should have done in the first place years ago..." Riku said, breathing in deeply as he closed his eyes before opening them up to gaze out at the stars once more.

"It's time Hikari knows the truth."


	3. The Oncoming Storm, Part 1

Hey there, everyone! It's been a good amount of time since Future Connection was last updated, and I do want to say, I'm sorry for the delay. Recently I've been dealing with trying to get my financial issues caught back up; which is easier said than done...AND like most of you, which I'm sure you know of by now, Kingdom Hearts III's ending LITERALLY DESTROYED OUR SOULS.

Nomura, you seriously better set this right. I'm watching you.

But on the bright side, let us rejoice, for after 17 long years, our SoKai ship is FINALLY CANON! It's been a long time coming, considering all of the seeds planted throughout the games leading up to now, finally allowing it to bloom. And it feels good knowing its canon now.

Now we just wait for their happy ending...but who knows how long that's going to take.

But with that out of the way, it's time to get back on track with Future Connection, and I apologize for the extreme shortness of this chapter; but don't fret however, the next one will be my usual standards of a long chapter. But until then, I hope you all enjoy this small addition as we start to really kick the story off.

* * *

Future Connection

Ch.2 The Oncoming Storm, Part 1

* * *

"Ugh...seriously? Locked?"

Riku groaned as he stood on the part of the roof near the window sill that jutted out. Reluctantly, he summoned Braveheart and released a small light at the window, magically unlocking it as he went and entered the room he now had access to.

His eyes wandered over to one of his closest friends as Kairi laid still in her bed; Riku gradually walking over as he pressed his back to the wall and slide down until he was seated on the floor next to her bed.

"Hey Kai...been awhile. I'd try to come more often, but being a Keyblade Master isn't exactly an easy job. It's got me going all over the worlds; though I do tend to try and stay as long as I can here on the islands. Heh...it's strange. I wanted to leave this place behind so much when the three of us were kids...now I just can't help but want to stay here all the time." he spoke as he looked up at the ceiling.

He propped his knee up and rested an arm atop it as he tried to come up with the right words to say.

"I'm going to be honest, Kairi...I feel like it's my fault you're like this now. It's my fault Sora's not here. I don't know what I was thinking by letting him go by himself like that, especially after everything we went through to bring him back after he brought you home. I was the Keyblade Master between the two of us; I should have taken it out of his hands; but he was adamant, and you know Sora, he's stubborn sometimes. Once he sets his mind to it...there's no stopping him. Just like when he used the power of waking to find you again."

Riku's mind thought back to that moment where he and their friends gazed out and saw the two of them on the paopu tree, only to watch Sora slowly fade away. It stung his heart badly; Riku blamed himself for that too, but he knew Sora's deep connection to Kairi was what allowed him to seek her out after her death; something he doubted he would have been able to do.

"As for Hikari...she's gotten pretty used to using her Keyblade well. Though...you probably wouldn't approve of her attitude she's got going on. She learns fast, and she's gotten pretty good over the years I've been training her to use it properly; it's just she's got so much pent up anger at Sora. She thinks he left you, though to be fair, I've kept her in the dark about everything; so naturally she's drawing her own conclusions. I can see now that was a mistake. I wanted to protect her from knowing her father might be gone for good all those times she asked me about him when she was little, but by doing that...let's just say your dad isn't exactly a good influence and he thinks Sora left the islands after you got pregnant. That's got her resenting Sora."

"Some best friend I am..." Riku remarked as he stared at his hand. "Maybe if Sora knew you were carrying Hikari...that might have been enough to make him stay...but Master Yen Sid was right; even if I went in his place and vanished like he did, no doubt both you and Sora would be trying to find me."

Riku rose to his knees and rested his hand atop hers as he looked on.

"I've made some mistakes over the years, but letting Sora out of our sight like that is the biggest one I've ever made. It's haunted me for a while now, but I've had enough of it. I promise; I'm going to find Sora; and whether she likes it or not, Hikari is going to help me. But not before she knows the truth. She's had the right to know, and I'm a terrible master for even denying her that."

Riku felt like a giant weight lifted off his heart; it felt good to finally get these struggling emotions off his chest.

"And when we get back...I'm making sure the first thing that slacker does is come wake you up. Count on it." Riku gently smiled.

* * *

Deep within the Realm of Darkness, cracks slowly began to form in thin air, as if an invisible wall was beginning to break open. The cracks became bigger and bigger, until finally, the cracks shattered; a large opening now like a gaping wound soon had a surge of darkness break on through the opening, pouring out into the Realm of Darkness as it swirled around like a twister, red and black sparks surrounding it and radiating a deep power from deep within; the yellow trademark eyes similar to a Shadow's glowed in the center before it launched up into the sky, and began to drill into it, eventually making another large wound in the Realm of Darkness, as the great mass of energy began to make its way into the Realm of Light.

* * *

Hikari sighed as she sat on the beach of the play island, gazing out at the sunset slowly fading over the horizon. She closed her eyes and let a soft groan out, hearing footsteps slowly approaching. She knew it could only be one person.

"What do you want, uncle Riku? Whatever it is, I'm not in the mood for it tonight."

Riku said nothing as he gazed out towards the sunset as well, sitting down next to her as they watched the sun slowly fade away.

Silence dominated the moment as they watch on, before Riku finally spoke; even though he knew his words were most likely going to provoke her.

"Seeing you sitting here watching this; it really makes me think of all the times I sat over there with your parents and watched the same thing countless nights." he finally spoke, eying the paopu tree.

"Ugh, just don't even start. I told you I'm not in the mood." Hikari said, annoyance clear in her voice.

"No." he shook his head. "I'm not going to. Because this is something I should have done years ago. And if I don't, your anger WILL consume you, I should know; speaking from experience. And quite frankly, I'm getting sick of your negative attitude, and I know your parents would agree as well."

"And how would you know!?" she yelled and rose to her feet. "My mom has been in that same state since I was born….and that….that DEADBEAT...he wasn't even here for her! He left her! HE LEFT ME!"

"You only assume that because you don't know everything. Because I LET it come to this. That was never my intention. I only wanted to protect you from the truth. If you think Sora just left your mom after she was pregnant with you, you're dead wrong, Hikari. There's so many other factors at the heart of the situation."

"I'm not putting up with this tonight..." she huffed and tried to storm off, only for her wrist to be gripped tightly by Riku's hand.

"You're not leaving. Not until you know..."

Riku's words were suddenly cut off as the island and the sea began to shake violently; large waves surging up as it pushed them back further on the small beach. Riku could also see waves surging toward the main island as he rose back to his feet, pulling Hikari up with him.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern as he looked at her.

"Pft...what's...going on?" she asked, desperately trying to get the taste of salt water out of her mouth before her eyes turned to the swirling vortex in the middle of the sea between the islands.

"This can't be good..." Riku's eyes narrowed as he began to see strands of darkness slowly emerging from the vortex.


	4. The Oncoming Storm, Part 2

I'm back~~~~~

Hey there, everyone; BassDS back once more, and as I promised; this next installment of Future Connection is a pretty good moderate size compared to what I've uploaded previously; after all, I really don't want to keep you all waiting when you're eager to see how the story plays out...even though I DID make you all wait during January; but hey, it was Kingdom Hearts III season, so you can't really fault me for that; I HAD to swim through and see all those leaks. I'm sure there were a few eager beavers among you all as well to.

But anyway, we've got a new story update to take care of, and the plot is just now starting to ramp up and kick off with this chapter, so for all of you that have been patiently waiting, I thank you, and for those who by some chance have found this story for the first time; feel free to join the ride.

The fun is just getting started!

* * *

Future Connection

Ch.3 The Oncoming Storm, Part 2

* * *

Riku's eyes gazed at the vortex in the water; darkness beginning to emerge from it, before a large pillar of darkness shot out of it toward the sky, totally blackening it in the process.

"Hikari, get back now!" Riku ushered as he drew Braveheart forth and readied himself; unsure of what he was about to face.

"What is that thing?" Hikari looked on as the pillar began to dissipate, in its place, what looked like a very large Neoshadow floated before them; its arms and legs covered in a crystal-like substance, red veins strewn about its body; an oddly shaped gem pulsating brightly in the middle of its chest, before it covered its arms over its chest, and from its back erupted wings with several holes in them; its eyes turning from yellow to bright red as horns similar to an Invisible's began to form on its head.

"Whatever that Heartless is...it sure is an ugly one." responded Riku as he looked on at the monstrosity.

Riku was soon caught off guard as the mutated Neoshadow instantly vanished and appeared in front of the both of them, its arm attempting to crash down onto them.

"How did it…?" Riku didn't have time to think as he quickly raised Braveheart up to parry the attack; the force of it sending him and Hikari back a good distance as they were flung into the small body of water near the entrance to the Secret Place.

"I...I didn't even see it move..." Hikari groaned she rose up, her clothes completely soaked as she managed herself to her feet.

"Neither did I...grr..." Riku muttered. _"This thing is bad news; I can already tell."_ he thought to himself. "Listen, Hikari, get away from here now; it's too dangerous, and I don't know what this thing is capable of."

"In case you didn't notice, we're stuck on an island, and that whirlpool is kind of in the way of the mainland. I'm not going anywhere." she shot back as she called forth her Keyblade; Destiny's Sanctuary.

The handguard that shone pure white was very similar to that of the Kingdom Key, as did the silver shaft of the blade itself; but the similarities ended there. Near the top of the blade was a round piece that was jutting out from the side and partial middle of the shaft itself; holding a four-pointed star within it; three diamond-shaped teeth stood out the front, with a lone piece coming out from the other side; another rested at the top of the shaft itself. The entire set shone like gold, as did the spiraling coils that hugged around it, leading down toward the handguard where either coil was tethered down to the top of the guard; the dangling keychain was that of the four-pointed star that rested atop the Keyblade, albeit without the round piece; the chain fastened behind one of the star points.

"Alright...point taken." Riku relented. "Just remember everything I thought you. That'll work in our favor."

"Hard not to when you've nailed it into my head for 7 years." she replied while readying herself with her Keyblade.

The strange Heartless swung around, chucking bits of the crystals on its arms at them relentlessly as they brought their Keyblades up to shield them.

"Dark Firaga!" Riku cried as he found a moment in the assault to launch an attack of his own; only for the strange Heartless to once again vanish in an instant, this time appearing behind them as it grabbed Riku and tossed him to the side.

Hikari looked on as her master was chucked along the beach; before quickly coming back to her senses.

"Why don't you chill out? Blizzaga!" she pointed Destiny's Sanctuary at it and fired several cold bursts in rapid succession; pushing it back more and more as it crashed into the small hut that led to the passageway to the small inlet.

Despite still being in training, Hikari's skills had grown since the first day Riku had taken her under his wing; enough to be able to use such high-powered magic; granted, Riku had only let her deal with the occasional Shadows and Soldiers, but it served her well enough to get better at using her magic and Keyblade.

The Heartless was momentarily dazed as Riku caught on that Hikari had given them an opening to attack; he rose back to his feet and lunged at it; Braveheart digging into one of its crystalline arms while Hikari dashed toward it; concentrating the light within her into Destiny's Sanctuary. "Starburst Strike!"

Hikari fiercely began to strike the Heartless several times over, before she raised her Keyblade high once more to deal the last blow that would hopefully end this.

She thought wrong.

The crystal centered in the Heartless' chest began to glow as it released ripples of darkness from its body; blowing both of them back once more, with Riku being launched into the air, only for the Heartless to instantly appear behind and grab him within its large hand.

"AAAAGGGHH!" Riku groaned in pain as he felt himself being squeezed tightly; his hand letting go of Braveheart; dropping it into the sand below.

"No…" Hikari groaned and looked on; she had been thrown onto the small path; her leg scrapped up as she bled a bit; feeling her leg almost giving out on her from the pain.

The eyes of the Heartless glowed brightly as it tossed Riku across the small beach; throwing him right into the boat dock; the impact being enough to knock him out.

"Riku…" Hikari's eyes widen as she struggled to make it over to him; she shook him carefully to make sure he was still alive; hearing a faint groan from him. "Please...get up! Get up!" she chocked; fear present in her voice. Riku was down for the count, and she was all alone to face this thing.

Her eyes went back to the dangerous Heartless as it began to raise its hand up; slowly forming several dark orbs in its hand; releasing the power from them as beams of darkness began to rain down from the skies above; assaulting the small island, and slowly approaching the main island.

"I have to do something..." she thrust her Keyblade into the sand to prop herself up; resting her hand on her chest as she concentrated. "Curaga!" Slowly, she began to send waves of energy throughout her body to heal herself best she could; she could still feel the stinging in her leg, but it would at least dull down the pain so she could fight this thing.

But what could she do?

Hikari saw her chance; her eyes were drawn to the glowing crystal embedded in the Heartless' chest. Her mind quickly rationalized that it must be its weak point. "I...I only have one shot at this..."

She pulled Destiny's Sanctuary out from the sand, ignoring the pain still in her leg as she charged at the Heartless as it was drawing more energy into the crystal to launch its next assault. Light filled her body and Keyblade as she quickly jumped up off the sand and aimed her Keyblade toward the crystal.

"Pearl!" she cried out, releasing an orb of light toward the crystal as it connected, following up with Destiny's Sanctuary striking it at well.

The Heartless began to react to the assault violently as the crystal glowed and emitted a weird field of energy around the two, sending shockwaves through Hikari's body as she cried out in pain; her last moment of vision being a bright light coming from the crystal and enveloping both her and the Heartless as they vanished into the bright light together.

* * *

The sound of the ocean lapped his body as Riku slowly began to awaken; he felt his body ache all over, but soon it hit him that he was in the middle of dealing with that Heartless...except...he looked around; the sky was no longer blacked, the sea was calm and the sun shone brightly.

"Uhh...what happened to me..." he spat out; trying to get the taste of salt water out of his mouth; until another realization came to him. Where was Hikari?

"Hikari!" Riku forced himself up as he dragged himself along the beach, looking for any sign of the only child of his two best friends. "Hikari! Can you hear me!? Hikari! HIKARI!" his eyes widening and fear began to set into his heart.

He looked around at the destruction around him; seeing some of the damage the main island had suffered. But that was the furthest thought in his mind at the moment.

Riku choked up a bit as anger welled up inside him; his knees falling to the sand as he collapsed, angrily ramming his fists into the sand.

"No...NOT AGAIN! WHY!?"

His angered voice rang out, but he received no answer to his question.

* * *

 _16 Years Prior…._

The light of the moon filled up the night sky as Sora laid atop the roof of his home, staring out at the stars softly; enjoying the serene peace he had desired for some time.

To say he had earned it was an understatement. He had be thrown headlong into the Keyblade War devised by Master Xehanort to forge the X-blade...and in the ensuing struggle; he had lost Kairi; the one person he cherished most in his heart. He still couldn't get that nightmarish image out of his mind; as the elder wielder's Keyblade has struck Kairi's unconscious form, shattering her body in the process.

He went on to stop the misguided master; he had believed that the world needed to be reset to bring balance; intending to lead the new world basked in the light of Kingdom Hearts. Even though Sora knew Xehanort's intentions; while wanting to set things right with the world; albeit it flawed...he could just never bring himself to forgive him for what he had done to the young girl that had his heart.

Having already used the power of waking improperly to save his friends, Sora made the choice to do so one more time; all to save Kairi; and doing so cost him heavily; as although she was back home safe and sound; the worst part of bringing her back was that his cost meant he couldn't stay with her for long.

After that...things got pretty wild after he faded away; but he was surprised when Kairi did all she could to find him; Donald and Goofy in tow with her; she was determined to bring him back; to keep true to her promise she made when they shared the Paopu Fruit.

" _Let me keep you safe."_

He smiled as her words stuck fast in his mind. She did more than keep him safe.

She brought him home.

They had soon become closer with one another upon his return; spending as much time as they could together, before his mind flashed back to the intimate moment they shared close to a month ago. The thought made his face redden, chuckling a bit as he thought of it.

"And just what are YOU chuckling about?"

He looked over and saw Kairi looking out at him from the window in his room; a soft smile on her face.

"Nothing..." he said, trying to shrug it off.

"Sure...like I'm going to buy that." she joked and slide out onto the roof and laid next to him. "It looks beautiful out tonight, doesn't it?"

"Eh, not as beautiful as you." he hammed it up gleefully.

"Are you just saying that, or do you mean it?" she smirked at him a bit.

"C'mon, Kai. What do you think?" Sora joked.

Kairi looked over and clasped her hand in his as her blue eyes met with his own. "A little bit of both...maybe leaning more on the latter."

They hardly needed words. Just gazing into each others eyes was enough to tell them just how deeply they felt for one another as Sora gripped her hand in his tightly.

He never wanted to part with her again.

Kairi looked out from the corner of her eye as she saw something bright up in the night sky. "Sora; a shooting star..." she spoke softly as they looked on at it.

"Wanna make a wish?"

She shook her head softly. "I don't need to. I already I have my wish..." she responded and held his hand tighter.

Sora looked out at the star, gazing at it softly as it soared through the sky.

" _I wish…."_

* * *

Riku walked along the beach on the main island as he stared out at the sea. It was nice that, for once, all was finally calm. No impending threats. No dangerous foes. Just peace and quiet; something he realized he really took for granted in his younger days before wanting to set out and seek other worlds; with his encounters with Terra, and finally Kairi being the driving force that led him to do so. And to unknowingly set in motion the trio's role in the conflict that spanned well over two years.

"You know...I think I could get used to this again." he smiled and sat down upon the sand; breathing in the salty sea air into his lungs.

His eyes looked up and saw a shooting star; unknowingly, the same one his friends had bore witness to as well. He saw how fiercely its glow was; seeing it race through the sky...then slowly noticing that it was getting closer.

Was he losing it?

Giving it a few more seconds, it was apparent; that thing was careening down and barreling towards him.

Riku hesitated a few moments; trying to rationalize that it couldn't be aiming towards him; until his body instinctively dodged out of the way as the shooting star swooped down, narrowly missing him as he rolled in the sand; seeing the star come back around before it finally slammed into the ground, creating a crater in the median between the sea and sand.

"What just happened?" he asked himself; puzzled at the phenomena that has just occurred before his eyes before moving over to the crater; the water seeping into it as the light rested in the middle...before slowly dying down to reveal a person inside of it. "OK, now I KNOW I'm losing it..." he wiped his eyes before they settled on the person inside of the crater; before jumping down into it and placing a hand on the person's shoulder.

"Did...they just actually fall from the sky?" he asked himself once more; trying to rationalize the whole thing before shaking the person gently. "Hey...can you hear me?" His eyes soon wandered to the person's hand, and saw a Keyblade clutched in their grip. "A Keyblade wielder?" he asked, a bit puzzled.

A soft groan came from the person as Riku moved to turn them over onto their back; having landed face first into the sand. He carefully positioned them on their back; the long hair strands covering their face gave him the indication the person was a girl. "Are you okay? Speak to me..." he asked softly as he moved his hand to move the strands of hair obstructing the girl's face; moving just enough before his eyes widened in shock.

"Why does she…" Riku looked on at the young girl that laid before him; her face being burned into his mind. He was extremely confused.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but one prevailed over them all he he studied the face of the young girl that laid before him.

Why did she look like his closest friends?

* * *

"Mmmm...5 more minutes..." Sora yawn as he slowly woke up; finding himself and Kairi still on the roof; both having fallen asleep while stargazing; Kairi slept soundly as her head rested against his chest.

Sora reached into his pocket to grab his Gummiphone; thinking it was the alarm he had set on it that he would use to get up in the morning. It wasn't, however. He was getting a call.

"Oh...it's Riku..." Sora sleepily said as he pressed Accept; Riku's face appearing on the screen. "Hey, Riku...I was kinda in the middle of something..." he yawned. "Can't this wait til tomorrow?" Sora didn't even know why Riku was calling him this late; usually he was bit of an early sleeper.

"Yeah...sure you were. But we've got bit of an issue on our hands here. I need you to go to Kairi's place and get her; and meet me down at my place, fast." Riku proclaimed.

"That's not a problem. We kinda fell asleep watching the stars..." he replied groggily. "Just what's so important that you had to call in the middle of the night, anyway?"

"I would say...but the both of you see this with your own eyes to believe it..."


	5. Visitor

Hey there, everyone; BassDS back once more with a new update to the story for you all.

So last time, we did start to set things in motion, and here, we'll pretty much be doing the same thing; got to have a good build up, after all. But don't fret, things WILL be picking up soon in the action department, I promise. Even if I'm not very good at writing action sequences, so please bare with me there.

Funny, most of the series I've done stories for are all action-based games or anime...oh, the irony...

But anyway, I'm hoping you all enjoy this new story update, and I would like to say, I'm open to constructive criticism, so if you have some advice you want to throw my way, go for it; I'd love to hear your feedback, and the fact that you are are enjoying Future Connection means I'm at least doing SOMETHING right.

And before I leave you all to this next advancement for Future Connection, I do want to say, be on the lookout, because I WILL be dropping a new one-shot soon that will delve into the events that occur in Hikari's timeline before she's born...and well...to also go ahead and finally get a fluffy and emotional NSFW SoKai piece out there, since Pleasure And Darkness KINDA broke my trend of writing soft-hearted smut, so that is something I MUST amend, so I hope you all look forward to that one-shot soon.

The fun is just getting started!

* * *

Future Connection

Ch.4 Visitor

* * *

Riku rested up against the doorframe outside of his house; eyes closed as he listened to the crickets and waves before he began to hear footsteps and opened one of his eyes to see Sora and Kairi walking towards.

"Couldn't this wait until morning, Riku?" yawned Sora while stretching his arms out.

"I'm sure Riku has a perfectly good reason for having us come out here, Sora; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked." Kairi rebutted.

"I'm going to be honest; I'm not even sure if its a good reason or not, but..." hesitated Riku as he looked up to the balcony that led into his room. "Something tells me you're both connected to this." he added before moving his hand down and pulled Destiny's Sanctuary out from the corner of the house's entrance he leaned against.

"A Keyblade?" Sora wondered as he took it from Riku's hand and looked it over. "I don't get it, Riku. What's so special about it?"

"It looks beautiful..." Kairi exclaimed softly.

"I didn't call you over about the Keyblade itself...it's actually about its wielder. She's resting up in my room." Riku explained.

"There's another Keyblade wielder here? But, I thought me, you and Kairi were the only ones on the island." Sora looked puzzled. "Did they come from another world?"

Riku looked very composed as he tried to figure out the right words to explain the situation. "I was on the beach, and I looked up to see a shooting star passing by...at least I thought it was one. The next minute, I see it barreling down towards me and dodging it before it crashed into the sand. When the smoke cleared; that's when I saw the girl laying there, and that Keyblade clenched in her hand."

"So...they did come from another world; one that probably fell to darkness?" Kairi asked as she looked on at Riku's serious demeanor.

"No…" Riku responded as he looked down. "As strange as this is to say; I firmly believe she IS from the island."

Sora could only look on at Riku with his trademark confused face. "But, that doesn't make sense, Riku. Do you even realize what you're saying?"

"It sounds weird, and very improbable, I know...but there's something in my heart telling me that it's true. As it stands, she's the only one with the answers, but until she wakes up, we don't know for sure what's going on." Riku replied.

"So, why ARE we here, Riku?" Kairi asked as she looked to her friend.

"Come upstairs...you'll see." Riku moved and opened the door as the three of them walked in before he closed the door behind them.

* * *

The trio made their way up the stairs to his room, coming to the end of the hall as Riku moved his hand to the doorknob, but stopped when he gripped it while looking back and memorizing the faces of his two close friends. The resemblance they had to the young girl was uncanny, but there were other thoughts racing through his mind.

" _Say I'm right on this hunch...if so, HOW is she even here...but more importantly, WHY? Is there something about to happen that we don't know about?"_ Riku thought to himself as his green eyes met up with their blue eyes.

"Riku?"

He snapped out of his train of thought as Kairi spoke. "Oh…sorry; got a lot on my mind right now."

He took a breath and opened the door as they all walked in; the breeze from the open balcony door making the curtains sway back and forth.

"She was pretty banged up when I found her, most likely from a fight against Heartless. Regardless; she put up a fight from the looks of it. I tended to her wounds best I could." Riku added as he moved closer to the bed and set the Keyblade down against the nightstand. "Look at her...tell me what you see."

Sora and Kairi looked each other in the eye, somewhat put off by how Riku was acting, they could just sense he was uneasy about the girl he found, until Kairi nodded to Sora and they approached the bed.

Kairi was the first to get a good look; eying the strange girl carefully; noting her beautiful hair, until she stood and looked very hard at the girl's face, leading Kairi to emit a small gasp. "She...she looks just like me..."

"Okay...this is getting freaky..." Sora added as he realized Kairi was right.

"Not just you..." Riku spoke out as he moved behind them.

Sora looked on at the girl; seeing that her auburn hair did match up with Kairi's red locks, he looked closer and could make out a few more features on her face; he could see traces of Kairi in the young girl, no doubt, but he also saw traces of himself, mostly around her nose, cheeks and ear lobes.

Sora felt goosebumps run all over his skin as the realization hit him that she looked similar to him.

"Ok...I have SO many questions right now..." Sora shook his head and sat down in the chair next to Riku's desk.

"Don't worry; you aren't the only one. This whole thing has me pretty uneasy." Riku confessed as he pondered to himself.

Kairi could only stare at the girl as she laid there resting; moving her hand down to move away the strands of hair that covered her face; taking in her features before softly placing her hand to the girl's cheek. "She looks...just like us, Sora."

"Then I take it you've come to the same conclusion I did then?" Riku added as he moved over to Sora and Kairi joined them. "I don't know how...but the similarities make it clear as day: this Keyblade wielder is your daughter."

Kairi felt her heart jump as Riku said those words before her eyes trailed to Sora's, they both became locked together as they tried to process the situation.

"My...daughter…?" Sora muttered as he looked across the room to the bed.

"That's why I'm on edge right now. If she really is yours and Kairi's, why and how is she here? It can't be time travel; because we know the rules that are in place from when we dealt with Xehanort; you have to leave your body behind, and you can only travel to a point in the past you exist in; yet she's here at a point where she doesn't exist, and her body is intact. Something isn't sitting right with me." Riku motioned as he looked over to Sora.

"So...what should we do?" Kairi asked.

"For now, you two stay here and keep an eye on her until she wakes up. As for me; I'm going to let Master Yen Sid know what's going on. I get the feeling something's happening, and it's not going to be good." Riku replied.

Sora only stared down at the floor, trying to process what was happening before a soft groan snapped him out of it.

"I think she's coming to." exclaimed Kairi as she saw Sora dash past her and make his way to the bed.

"Hey...can you hear me? Are you okay?" Sora asked softly as he placed his hand on her shoulder to nudge her lightly.

"Ngh...Un...Uncle R..Riku…?" she uttered back as her eyes slowly began to open up.

"Well, gee, Sora; thanks for giving me THAT distinction." Riku joked; hoping it would help lighten things up while his mind was troubled by the current situation's unknowns.

Sora just shot a small grin back at him before turning his attention back to the girl. "He's here, don't worry." He soon felt a lump in his throat as she tried to speak as he looked on at the pure blue eyes she had. "Do you...know who I am?"

Her vision was a bit hazy and she felt disoriented; but slowly, her vision began to return to her as she looked up at the young man that towered above her at her side. Soon, Hikari could see who it was talking to her; his face from the picture on her mother's nightstand overlayed with the face in front of her in her mind, and she felt herself being filled with rage. "You..."

"So, you DO know me, right?"

Sora didn't get the typical Yes or No response he was expecting.

Instead, he was knocked to the floor after her fist punched him hard in the face.

Hikari could feel her body throb and ache in pain, but she didn't care; after so long, she could finally vent her frustrations.

"Why!?" she cried out as she forced herself off the bed, landing atop Sora as she slapped him. "All these years, and you come back NOW!?" she growled and slapped him hard.

"Ugh...wait, what did I..." Sora tried to say as he felt another slap from her, followed by a harder punch.

"Do you know...the pain you put me through!? How you've made me feel alone my whole life!?" she cried as tears poured down her cheeks and move her arm back to land one more punch before she felt a hand on her clenched fist.

"Stop this!"

Hikari turned to look over her shoulder as her as her eyes landed on the young redhead behind her, feeling a strong grip on her arm. Hikari was instantly frozen with shock as she looked on at the face of the person who stopped her assault.

Looking straight on at her was her mother...but it was impossible; the thought ran through her mind. It couldn't be. Her mom was bedridden and in a coma.

"Just settle down, alright...you've been through a lot..." Riku took over and did his best to part the two, watching Hikari rest against the bed on the floor.

Hikari tried to make sense of everything. Her eyes darted back and forth between Sora and Kairi before they landed on her nearby Keyblade.

Hurting as much as she was, she panicked and grabbed her Keyblade, struggling to her feet as she used all the willpower she had to get away from them; seeing the door to the balcony open, she leaped out over the railing and into the sand below, tossing and turning as she rolled in it before rising to her feet; silently crying as she tried her best to get away.

"Stay here; I'll bring her back." Riku motioned to Kairi as she helped Sora get back up while he exited the same way Hikari did and gave chase.

"Sora...are you okay?" Kairi asked softly as she grabbed some tissue from the nightstand to wipe away a bit of blood coming from the side of his mouth.

"I've had plenty of beatings from Heartless and Nobodies over the years...but never from a girl..." he groaned as he rubbed his jaw.

Kairi tended to his wounds as they sat on Riku's bed, but her eyes gazed out at the starlit sky through the balcony door.

" _She looked like she saw a ghost when she saw me the moment I stopped her from hurting Sora, and when she saw him...just what was that all about?"_ Kairi thought to herself with a worried look.

* * *

Hikari has since put her Keyblade away as she struggled down the beach. The pain she felt was agonizing, but she pushed on as she tried to make sense of what happened.

She soon turned a bend and found a small cave as she entered it, hobbling to a nearby flat rock to sit on as she felt the pain in her leg again from her battle with that Heartless.

"Why is HE back? After so long; why?" she muttered to herself, clutching the cloth around her waist. She then thought back to when she was ready to land another hit onto Sora, only to be stopped by her mom. "How is she even conscious...they said she was in a deep coma..."

"Listen, I know you're in there."

Hikari's train of thought was broken as Riku's voice echoed gently into the cave.

"How did you find me? Don't come in unless you want a Firaga to the face!"

"Alright...just take it easy. I'd rather not get barbequed. And as for how I found you...well, you did hobble away on the beach and left footprints for me to follow." he chuckled a bit. "Wasn't hard to put two and two together."

Silence permeated the moment between them.

"Mind if I come in? It's just me; I promise." Riku asked cautiously.

"...Fine..." she relented.

Riku sighed as he carefully made his way inside to see the young girl glaring at him with an angry look he knew all too well from his years of teasing Sora. If she really was his kid, the apple clearly didn't fall far from the tree in terms on mannerisms.

"First things first; mind telling me why you went all crazy and wailed on my best friend like that?"

"You KNOW what he's done! Don't act stupid!" Hikari barked back. "You know how much I can't stand him for leaving us….leaving ME!"

"Actually, no, I don't." Riku replied as he walked in a bit more as the moon's light glowed dimly through a crack in the top of the cave, allowing Hikari to make out his features.

"Wait..." Confusion crossed upon her face as she examined him more closely. He LOOKED like the Riku she knew; blue-green eyes and silver hair were the dead giveaway, but he was noticeably a bit shorter to her, and his face seemed much more youthful. "What's going on? What happened to you; and my mom..." Hikari groaned as she held her head; trying to make sense of everything. "Just what's going on around here!?"

"Well...that settles it then..." Riku responded, his theory about the girl's parentage confirmed to him now. "As for your question there; seems we're in the same boat in that regard. I was hoping you could fill me in."

"As if I could tell you what's going on! I haven't a clue where I'm at!"

"Well...you're on the Destiny Islands, but not the Destiny Islands I believe you're familiar with." He moved closer to her. "I need you to tell me everything you can remember; because by all accounts, you shouldn't even be here...and that has me worried." Riku asked; knowing full well it was impossible for the young girl to be here in this time period; yet the laws of time were defied, and here she was, sitting in front of him.

"Wh...what are you saying?" Hikari asked with a confused and worried look.

"Well...let's start things off small first; you know who I am, so what's your name?" Riku asked as he knelt down to her and smiled.

* * *

"Ouch...it's still sore there...did you REALLY have to use the rubbing alcohol? I always hated that stuff." complained Sora as he felt the stinging pain on his face from one of the few spots where he had been hit; band-aids now covering them after Kairi had help to clean him up.

"It wasn't that bad." retorted Kairi as they walked along the dirt path that lead down to the beach, heading to meet Riku after he got in touch with them. "Besides..." her tone got a bit softer.

"Something on your mind?"

"I don't know...I'm just thinking about what Riku said earlier about that girl. I mean, could she really be...well, you know..." she replied while her eyes gazed up at the stars. "It was like looking at myself in the mirror; she looks almost just like me, and I see so much of her in you, too."

Sora said nothing for the moment and pondered the situation himself. He knew Riku raised some valid points about the restrictions of moving through time, yet, somehow, this Keyblade wielder that shared similar traits to him and Kairi was here in the flesh. Oddly enough, Sora felt in his heart this was the truth; his heart never steered him wrong before, so why start now?

"I still don't know what to make of it all. It's a lot to take in." he responded as he held onto her hand tightly. "But we'll figure it out just like we always do. I promise."

Kairi smiled as he reassured her, but in her mind, she kept replaying the girl's words in her head over and over, casting doubt on her heart as she recalled how alone she said she felt when accusing Sora.

" _Please...don't tell I'm going to lose him again."_ she thought to herself. _"I...I don't know if I'll be able to take it again; not after last time..."_

Eventually as they came to the fence leading down to the beach, they saw Riku propped up against it; the young girl sitting with her legs to her chest as she looked toward them before averting her gaze.

"Well, I see you cleaned up nice after all that." Riku said as he looked to Kairi. "The rubbing alcohol?"

"He hated every minute of it." she smiled.

"Yeah, well you'd think after all the times you got scratched up when we were kids, you'd learn not to be as reckless as you were, then your mom wouldn't have had to use it so many times." Riku shot back smugly with a smirk.

"That stuff stings and you know it." Sora muttered.

"Anyway..." Riku turned to look at the girl as she stood up and walked over to face them; her eyes darting down to the corners as she looked away from them.

Kairi looked over and saw the young girl standing before them quietly before she took a deep breath and looked them both in the eyes.

"This is Hikari." Riku spoke; being the one to once more break the silence. "Your daughter."


End file.
